A slow cooker earns its counter space in fall. You load it in the morning, and at six o’clock there is a hot dinner waiting that tastes like it took all afternoon, because it did.
These 26 slow cooker dinner recipes are every slow cooker meal on Sip Savor Mix, grouped by what is in the pot. Each entry lists the real total time from the recipe card, which includes the LOW setting cook time, and how many people it serves.
A few ground rules apply to every recipe here. Put raw meat in fully thawed, keep the lid on until the recipe says to check, and reheat any leftovers to 165°F. Beyond that, the slow cooker does the work.
Slow cooker chicken dinners
Chicken thighs are the safest bet for long cooking because they stay juicy where breasts turn stringy. Most of these use thighs, and the ones that finish with a sauce or dumplings do that in the last hour.
Slow Cooker Chicken and Dumplings
Shredded chicken thighs and vegetables cook in a creamy thyme broth, then from scratch drop dumplings steam on top for the last hour or so on HIGH. The dumplings are just flour, baking powder, cold butter and milk, so there is no biscuit tube to buy. Leave the lid on while they steam or they will not puff.
Time: about 7 hours 50 minutes | Serves: 6
Get the full Slow Cooker Chicken and Dumplings recipe with the printable card
Slow Cooker Chicken and Rice
Thighs cook with onion, carrot, celery and thyme until tender, then long grain rice goes in near the end so it turns fluffy instead of mushy. It is a true one pot dinner with the starch built in. Stir the rice once when you add it and then leave it alone.
Time: about 5 hours 15 minutes | Serves: 6
Get the full Slow Cooker Chicken and Rice recipe with the printable card
Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore
Bone in thighs braise with tomatoes, bell peppers, mushrooms, white wine and herbs, then olives and fresh basil go in right before serving. It tastes like a Sunday braise but takes five minutes of real work. Serve it over polenta, pasta or crusty bread.
Time: about 6 hours | Serves: 6
Get the full Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore recipe with the printable card
Slow Cooker Chicken Curry
A mild coconut chicken curry with potatoes and peas that simmers gently all afternoon. Coconut milk and tomatoes give it body without any cream. Rice and warm naan are all it needs alongside.
Time: about 5 hours 50 minutes | Serves: 6
Get the full Slow Cooker Chicken Curry recipe with the printable card
Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos
Chicken cooks in salsa, lime and homemade taco seasoning until it shreds with two forks. The meat goes right into warm tortillas with whatever toppings you have. Leftovers work for bowls, quesadillas and nachos the next day.
Time: about 5 hours 10 minutes | Serves: 8
Get the full Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos recipe with the printable card
Slow Cooker Creamy Tuscan Chicken
Chicken thighs in a Parmesan cream sauce with sun dried tomatoes, garlic and a big handful of spinach stirred in at the end. The sauce is rich enough to coat pasta or mashed potatoes. It is one of the most requested dinners on the site for a reason.
Time: about 4 hours | Serves: 6
Get the full Slow Cooker Creamy Tuscan Chicken recipe with the printable card
Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken
Thighs cook in a honey, soy and garlic sauce that thickens into a glossy glaze with a quick cornstarch slurry at the end. Sweet, salty and kid friendly. Spoon it over rice with steamed broccoli on the side.
Time: about 3 hours 40 minutes | Serves: 6
Get the full Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken recipe with the printable card
Slow cooker beef and pork dinners
Tough, well marbled cuts like chuck roast and pork shoulder are built for this. Eight to ten hours on LOW breaks down the connective tissue into rich, spoonable meat. Sear when the recipe calls for it. That browned crust is flavor the slow cooker cannot make on its own.
Slow Cooker Pot Roast with Root Vegetables
A seared chuck roast cooks with carrots, potatoes and parsnips until fork tender, and the cooking liquid becomes an easy gravy at the end. This is the classic Sunday roast on a weekday schedule. The vegetables go in whole or in large chunks so they hold their shape over the long cook.
Time: about 8 hours 35 minutes | Serves: 6
Get the full Slow Cooker Pot Roast with Root Vegetables recipe with the printable card
Mississippi Pot Roast
Chuck roast, a packet of ranch seasoning, a packet of au jus mix, a stick of butter and a handful of pepperoncini. That is the whole ingredient list, and it comes out rich, tangy and shreddable. Serve it over mashed potatoes or pile it onto rolls.
Time: about 9 hours 5 minutes | Serves: 8
Get the full Mississippi Pot Roast recipe with the printable card
Slow Cooker Beef Bourguignon
Bacon, mushrooms, pearl onions and red wine turn beef chuck into the French stew everyone knows, and the slow cooker handles the long braise. You brown the beef and bacon on the stove first, then walk away. It tastes even better on day two.
Time: about 9 hours 5 minutes | Serves: 6
Get the full Slow Cooker Beef Bourguignon recipe with the printable card
Slow Cooker Beef and Broccoli
Strips of chuck roast simmer in a garlic ginger soy sauce until tender, then the sauce is thickened and crisp broccoli goes in for the last few minutes. It beats takeout on price and the broccoli stays bright green. Serve over white rice.
Time: about 5 hours 20 minutes | Serves: 6
Get the full Slow Cooker Beef and Broccoli recipe with the printable card
Slow Cooker French Dip Sandwiches
Chuck roast cooks in a savory broth until it shreds, then gets piled onto toasted rolls with melted provolone. The cooking liquid is the au jus, strained and served for dipping. Great for feeding a crowd on game day.
Time: about 8 hours 50 minutes | Serves: 6
Get the full Slow Cooker French Dip Sandwiches recipe with the printable card
Slow Cooker Meatballs in Marinara
Homemade beef and pork meatballs are browned in the oven, then simmered in a simple garlic marinara until tender. Browning first keeps them from falling apart in the sauce. Serve over spaghetti or in sub rolls with mozzarella.
Time: about 5 hours 5 minutes | Serves: 6
Get the full Slow Cooker Meatballs in Marinara recipe with the printable card
Slow Cooker Pulled Pork
A spice rubbed pork shoulder cooks low and slow until it shreds, then gets tossed with a quick homemade barbecue sauce and broiled for crispy edges. That broil step is what separates good pulled pork from soggy pulled pork. It feeds ten and freezes well.
Time: about 9 hours 15 minutes | Serves: 10
Get the full Slow Cooker Pulled Pork recipe with the printable card
Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas
Pork shoulder braises with citrus, cumin and garlic, then the shredded meat is broiled until the edges crisp. The contrast of juicy and crunchy is the whole point. Serve in tortillas with onion, cilantro and lime.
Time: about 9 hours 35 minutes | Serves: 10
Get the full Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas recipe with the printable card
Slow Cooker Sausage and Peppers
Italian sausage links cook with bell peppers, onions and a garlicky tomato sauce. Brown the sausages first so the casings hold and the sauce picks up their flavor. Serve on rolls or over polenta.
Time: about 5 hours 45 minutes | Serves: 6
Get the full Slow Cooker Sausage and Peppers recipe with the printable card
Slow Cooker Ravioli Lasagna
Frozen cheese ravioli stands in for noodles and ricotta filling, layered with a quick sausage marinara and mozzarella. It cooks in about four hours on LOW, so it works for a late afternoon start. Let it rest 15 minutes before cutting so the layers set.
Time: about 4 hours 15 minutes | Serves: 8
Get the full Slow Cooker Ravioli Lasagna recipe with the printable card
Slow cooker soups and chilis
Soups and chilis are where the slow cooker is hardest to beat. Long, gentle heat pulls flavor out of bones, beans and dried peas without any watching. Most of these make eight servings, so plan on freezing half.
Slow Cooker Beef Chili
A thick beef chili with two kinds of beans, toasted spices, a spoonful of cocoa and a splash of coffee. The cocoa and coffee add depth, not sweetness. Brown the beef and bloom the spices before they go in the pot.
Time: about 7 hours 40 minutes | Serves: 8
Get the full Slow Cooker Beef Chili recipe with the printable card
Slow Cooker Turkey Chili
Ground turkey, two kinds of beans, fire roasted tomatoes and a homemade spice blend simmer all day into a chili that is lighter than beef but just as thick. Fire roasted tomatoes do a lot of the flavor work. Top with cheddar and sour cream.
Time: about 7 hours 20 minutes | Serves: 8
Get the full Slow Cooker Turkey Chili recipe with the printable card
Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili
Shredded chicken, white beans and green chiles in a creamy broth finished with cream cheese and lime. It is milder than red chili and just as filling. Crushed tortilla chips on top are not optional.
Time: about 6 hours 45 minutes | Serves: 8
Get the full Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili recipe with the printable card
Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup
A smoky tomato chicken soup with black beans and corn, topped with crisp baked tortilla strips, avocado and lime. Chipotle in adobo and fire roasted tomatoes give the broth its smoke. Bake the tortilla strips while the soup finishes.
Time: about 6 hours 55 minutes | Serves: 8
Get the full Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup recipe with the printable card
Slow Cooker Chicken Noodle Soup
Bone in thighs, carrots, celery and herbs cook into a golden broth, then wide egg noodles go in for the last half hour. Cooking the noodles in the soup, not separately, is what makes it taste homemade. Feeds eight.
Time: about 7 hours 15 minutes | Serves: 8
Get the full Slow Cooker Chicken Noodle Soup recipe with the printable card
Slow Cooker Loaded Potato Soup
Russet potatoes cook in chicken broth until soft, then sour cream, cream and sharp cheddar are stirred in and everything gets topped with bacon and green onions. Mash some of the potatoes against the side of the pot for a thicker soup. It is a baked potato in a bowl.
Time: about 7 hours 55 minutes | Serves: 8
Get the full Slow Cooker Loaded Potato Soup recipe with the printable card
Slow Cooker Split Pea Soup with Ham
Dried split peas cook with a ham bone or smoked hocks, carrots, celery and onion until thick and smoky. No soaking is required. A splash of vinegar at the end wakes it up.
Time: about 8 hours 45 minutes | Serves: 8
Get the full Slow Cooker Split Pea Soup with Ham recipe with the printable card
Slow Cooker Butternut Squash Soup
Butternut squash, apple, sage and a little nutmeg cook all day, then get blended with a splash of cream and lemon juice. Use vegetable broth to keep it vegetarian. Toasted pepitas on top add the crunch it needs.
Time: about 6 hours 20 minutes | Serves: 6
Get the full Slow Cooker Butternut Squash Soup recipe with the printable card
Meatless slow cooker dinners
There are fewer meatless options in the slow cooker lineup, but the one below is a full dinner on its own, and the butternut squash soup above is vegetarian when made with vegetable broth.
Slow Cooker Vegetarian Chili
Three kinds of beans, sweet potato, bell peppers and fire roasted tomatoes cook low and slow with toasted spices, soy sauce and a little cocoa for depth. The sweet potato makes it filling enough that nobody asks where the meat went. Finish with lime juice and pile on the toppings.
Time: about 7 hours 20 minutes | Serves: 8
Get the full Slow Cooker Vegetarian Chili recipe with the printable card
How to use this list
Shop by group. If you pick two chicken recipes and a chili for the week, you can buy one large pack of thighs, one bag of onions and a few cans of beans and tomatoes and cover all three. Chuck roast and pork shoulder are often cheaper in bigger cuts, so buy one and split it between two recipes.
Want these dinners planned out for you? The 4 week crockpot meal plan puts every slow cooker recipe on the site into a night by night schedule with weekly shopping notes.
No time to brown anything? Our dump and go crockpot dinners are the recipes on this list where everything goes in raw, with no skillet and no precooking.
Short on time this morning? Our easy crockpot recipes list sorts these same dinners by when you need to start the cooker, from all day roasts to recipes you can begin after lunch.
Prep the night before. Chop the vegetables, measure the spices and refrigerate everything in the crock insert if it is removable. In the morning you just add the meat and turn it on. Never put a cold ceramic insert into a preheated base, and never start with frozen meat, which can sit too long in the unsafe temperature range.
Know your settings. Most of these recipes give both LOW and HIGH times. LOW is better for tough cuts like chuck and pork shoulder because it gives collagen time to melt. HIGH is fine for chicken and most soups. Whichever you use, resist lifting the lid. Every peek adds 15 to 20 minutes of cook time.
Swap freely inside a group. Chicken thighs can replace breasts in any of the chicken recipes, and boneless works in place of bone in with the same time. Pork shoulder and chuck roast are not interchangeable in flavor, but they cook on the same schedule. For more make ahead planning, see our fall freezer meal prep plan and the two week fall weeknight meal plan.
Frequently asked questions
Can I put frozen chicken or beef in the slow cooker?
No. Frozen meat spends too long between 40°F and 140°F, which is the range where bacteria multiply. Thaw meat fully in the refrigerator first. If you are short on time, thaw sealed meat in cold water, changing the water every 30 minutes.
Is LOW or HIGH better for slow cooker dinners?
LOW gives tough cuts like chuck roast and pork shoulder more time to break down and usually gives a better texture. HIGH works well for chicken, soups and chilis. As a rule, one hour on HIGH is roughly equal to two hours on LOW.
Why is my slow cooker dinner watery?
Slow cookers trap steam, so liquid does not reduce the way it does on the stove. Use less broth than you think you need, and if the finished dish is thin, stir in a cornstarch slurry or leave the lid off on HIGH for the last 20 to 30 minutes.
Do I really need to brown the meat first?
For chili, meatballs, pot roast and bourguignon, yes. Browning builds flavor the slow cooker cannot create on its own and helps meatballs hold their shape. For shredded chicken dishes like tacos or honey garlic chicken, you can skip it.
How long do slow cooker leftovers keep?
Cool leftovers within two hours and refrigerate in shallow containers for up to 4 days. Most of these recipes freeze well for up to 3 months. Reheat to 165°F, and add a splash of broth when reheating soups and braises.
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